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To see which WordPress authors get the most views, add an Author custom dimension to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). The documented no-code setup uses MonsterInsights Pro and its Dimensions addon: connect the site to GA4, enable Author tracking in WordPress, then compare authors in the plugin’s report or GA4 Explore.
What author tracking shows—and what GA4 does not do by itself
GA4 does not automatically identify the WordPress author associated with a page view. As MonsterInsights explains, “Google Analytics doesn’t set up author tracking by default.” You need a WordPress plugin or a custom implementation that sends an author value as a custom dimension. The steps below describe MonsterInsights’ documented setup, not every possible implementation. MonsterInsights author-tracking guide
The Author dimension lets you compare content by author. Use Views to assess reach, Page title to see which posts contribute to an author’s results, and Key events to examine conversion outcomes. GA4 can also provide engagement or retention metrics for analysis; keep the date range and attribution settings consistent when comparing authors.
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- A GA4 property connected to your WordPress site through MonsterInsights.
- MonsterInsights Pro and the Dimensions addon installed and activated. MonsterInsights documents Author tracking through this plugin-and-addon route.
- A decision about privacy and consent before collecting analytics linked to authors. MonsterInsights says Author tracking is automatically disabled for its customers to avoid GDPR issues; review the site’s disclosures and applicable jurisdiction-specific requirements before enabling it. MonsterInsights custom-dimensions documentation
Enable the Author custom dimension
- In WordPress, connect MonsterInsights to the GA4 property used by the site. If the site is not yet connected, complete the plugin’s GA4 connection first.
- Install and activate MonsterInsights Pro and the Dimensions addon.
- Go to Insights → Settings and locate Custom Dimensions.
- Select Author, then save the setting.
- Allow new analytics data to arrive. The setting does not create historical author data retroactively.
Compare authors in WordPress
When data is available, open Insights → Reports → Dimensions and review the author results. Use the same reporting period when comparing writers. Treat the report as a view of tracked analytics, not necessarily a complete inventory of every visit: tracking exclusions and consent settings affect what is collected.
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Build an author report in GA4 Explore
For a more flexible breakdown, recreate the comparison in GA4:
- Open Explore and create a blank exploration.
- Import Author and Page title as dimensions.
- Import Views and Key events as metrics.
- Place Author in Rows and Views in Values to rank authors by views.
- Add Page title to break an author’s results down by individual posts. Add Key events to examine conversion outcomes alongside reach.
If Author is unavailable in the exploration, first confirm that the custom dimension is configured and that new data has been received. GA4 cannot show an author breakdown for data collected before the dimension was populated.
Why your own visits may not appear
MonsterInsights says logged-in Administrators and Editors are excluded from tracking by default, so testing while signed in can make a working setup look broken. Test with a logged-out session or a private browsing window instead. MonsterInsights logged-in user tracking documentation
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Make sure the reported author matches the visible byline
The analytics dimension reflects the author value associated with the tracked content; readers see the byline displayed on the post. WordPress’s Post Author block controls the visible byline and supports optional lead-in text such as “Written by:” or “Post Author:”. Check that the displayed byline corresponds to the author names you expect to compare in analytics. WordPress Post Author block documentation
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